Subsolidus binary phase diagram of the bilayer compounds [n-C_nH_(2n+1)N(CH_3)_3]_2ZnCl_4(n = 16, 18)

The bilayer compounds[n-CnH2n+1N(CH3)3]2Zn Cl4(n=16,18)experience solid-solid phase transition within the temperature range of 310 to 340 K.The low-temperature crystal structures of the pure compounds are characteristic of the piling effect in which a 2D macro-anion Zn Cl42- is sandwiched between two alkylammonium layers.These layers become conformationally disordered in the high-temperature phases.The structures can alternatively be viewed as a double layer of alkylammonium ions between Zn Cl42- sheets and can be considered as crystalline models of lipid bilayers.The experimental subsolidus binary phase diagram of[n-C16H33N(CH3)3]2Zn Cl4-[n-C18H37N(CH3)3]2Zn Cl4 has also been established over the whole composition range by differential scanning calorimetry(DSC)and X-ray diffraction.In the phase diagram,one intermediate compound[n-C16H33N(CH3)3][n-C18H37N(CH3)3]Zn Cl4 at WC16C3Zn%47.50 and two eutectoid invariants points at WC16C3Zn%35.10 and75.70 were observed;the respective temperatures of the two eutectoids are 320±1 and 315±1 K.In addition,there are three noticeable solid solution ranges in the phase diagram:α-phase at the left,β-phase at the right,andγ-phase in the middle.